The PrismJET brand has been powering the productivity of sign and print shops for over 15 years. Thousands of customers across the country have built successful profitable businesses with PrismJET large format printers. We have a history of getting it done!
PrismJET Productivity Drives Profit
Like the best-selling printers that came before it, the new PrismJET54 Gen 2 is built for cranking out high quality prints in a professional sign shop. The PrismJET54 Gen2 uses fast-drying outdoor durable eco-solvent ink, and a chassis engineered and manufactured to the highest standards.
You would think that all printer manufacturers offered similar levels of productivity. Unfortunately, that's not the case. When you're considering a large format printer purchase, there are important production issues to consider that can affect your bottom line.
EnduraINK PRO Eco-Solvent Ink
The PrismJET VJ54 uses EnduraINK PRO eco-solvent ink. EnduraINK PRO offers vibrant color, fast drying, high resolution prints at high production speeds. Eco-solvent inks use a combination of mild heat and mild solvents to penetrate surface of print media so that the resins are not all deposited on top of the face film. This makes your prints more UV and abrasion resistant than images from aqueous or water-based inks.
Prints from PrismJET printers are outdoor durable for up to three years without lamination. And lamination is not required for most outdoor sign and banner applications.
Full Solvent vs. Eco-Solvent
There is some confusion in the market about the term "eco-solvent.". Let's clear that up.
Full Solvent Ink. The advantage of full solvent ink is the ability to print on un-coated media and produce prints that are extremely UV and abrasion resistant. Full solvent inks do this by using aggressive chemicals to penetrate the media. Some of these chemicals are known toxins like cyclohexanone and are released into the air as VOCs as the ink dries.
Printers using full solvent inks must be used with air filtration systems to remove these VOCs from the air.
Eco-Solvent Ink. Eco-solvent inks are environmentally safe because they do not use these harsh chemicals. Therefore they don't require special ventilation systems and pose no health hazard when used in normal home and office environments. Although they're not as aggressive and UV resistant as full solvent inks, Eco-solvent inks offer some of the same benefits without the drawbacks.
EnduraINK PRO eco-solvent ink works on a wide variety of media, including cast and calendared vinyl, scrim banner, photo paper, backlit film, adhesive-backed fabric, artist canvas, PE films and more. And, as noted above, the prints last for up to three years outdoors without lamination.
PrismJET Reliability
Ink is the language by which printers communicate, but it is only part of the equation. The print heads, drive motors, heaters and related systems all have to work together to determine print quality, media control, and reliability. All of these factors affect productivity and profit. The last thing you need in a busy print shop is a printer that requires constant fiddling.
The PrismJET 54 Gen2's EnduraINK PRO ink is aided by a system of heaters that allow it to penetrate the media and dry on the printer. The heaters produce a maximum temperature of 50°C (122°F), which is sufficient to support print quality and quick drying without warping print media. All the mechanical components are engineered to high standards and manufactured in a certified ISO 9000 facility. They're rugged and reliable.
Latex Productivity Problems
You might assume all modern printers are equally efficient and well made. You'd be wrong. Some surprisingly well known products have built-in drawbacks that can add time-consuming tasks to your workload.Time spent fiddling with media or correcting print problems, can all add up to lost productivity and lower profit.
Latex is a good example. The compromises necessitated by the use of aqueous ink, high temperatures and outdated thermal inkjet technology create a series of time-consuming obstacles Latex users must overcome
1. Media Jamming: While PrismJET54 Gen2's owners are cranking out profitable prints, Latex users are fiddling with paper jams caused by overheated media curling up as it exits the printer. Solutions Latex users have recommended include standing in front of the printer to prevent a media jam which wastes time, or feeding forward extra media to prevent jams, which wastes materials
2. Wet Ink: While PrismJET54 Gen2's owners are removing banners and moving immediately to finishing, Latex owners are waiting for the ink to dry, or trying to figure out why the prints are oily.
" Trying to print jobs with a lot of ink in fast modes (commonly 6 passes or below) may result in not-completely-dry output and/or other print-quality problems…" (HP Latex 110 User Manual) " The ink is oily or smudges when touched…This may be just a temporary problem: try reprinting, and perhaps slightly reduce the ink limits. It may be worth adjusting the print queue so that the first job is not difficult to cure…When the symptoms can be seen only in certain parts of the print that use a lot of ink Increase the curing temperature, decrease the overall ink quantity, increase the number of passes, and/or modify the inter-path delay offset (in the RIP or front panel) to allow better drying on consecutive passes..." (HP Latex 110 User Manual)
While the PrismJET54 Gen2's owners are finishing another profitable job, the Latex user is on the phone with a disgruntled customer trying to explain why their newly delivered prints have broken out in an oily rash.
" When the oily finish appears minutes or hours after printing…Store the print face-up and uncovered; the effect normally disappears after a while."
3. Color Calibration: While PrismJET54 Gen2's owners are moving on to the next job, Latex users are still trying calibrate the printer to get acceptable output.
" As a first step, you may be able to improve print quality with a single command. At the front panel, press , then Image-quality maintenance > Optimize print quality... This performs print head recovery, alignment, and color calibration routines… Allow up to 30 minutes for the printer to perform the whole process. … If you still experience print-quality problems, you can follow a more hands-on print-quality troubleshooting procedure, by printing, interpreting, and performing corrective actions." (HP Latex 110 User manual)
So not all modern printers are the same. There are efficiency advantages to eco-solvent ink and advanced engineering that Latex can't match. EnduraINK PRO Eco-solvent ink is a versatile, quick drying solution for long-lasting outdoor signage. The PrismJET54 Gen2's physical components and systems are meticulously engineered for years of reliable production and profit.
Conclusion: PrismJET means productivity, and productivity drives profit.
